Radio presenter and employment lawyer in social media ruckus
A leading London-based barrister has achieved what he describes as a “life goal” after being blocked on Twitter by a legal consultancy firm.
Daniel Barnett, employment law specialist at Outer Temple Chambers in London, has been cold-shouldered by Peninsula Business Services, an employment law and health and safety consultancy, over comments he made about the firm’s decision to instruct “a proper barrister” to act for it in a disability discrimination claim brought against it.
Barnett — who is a co-presenter on Leading Britain’s Conversation’s (LBC) Wednesday night show, the ‘Legal Hour’ — tweeted earlier this week his observation that Peninsula had not represented themselves in an employment law-related claim which was heard in the Employment Appeal Tribunal recently despite being employment law experts:
Interesting how @peninsula_uk instruct a proper barrister when they want a proper job done https://t.co/poQPJlZVsB #ukemplaw
— Daniel Barnett (@daniel_barnett) March 1, 2017
To be fair to Peninsula, law firms often get external advisors to represent them in these situations — it can be easier to keep things at arm’s length. But the firm appears not to have taken kindly to Barnett’s comments.
They blocked him on Twitter:
** LIFE GOAL ** I’ve been blocked by Peninsula. See my last tweet. (HT @paulmenham) #ukemplaw pic.twitter.com/qu8v6rTRF4
— Daniel Barnett (@daniel_barnett) March 1, 2017
In retaliation, Barnett tweeted that he had removed Peninsula’s consultants from his popular mailing list:
Peninsula have blocked me on Twitter. I have deleted 109 of their consultants from my mailing list. #fairplay #ukemplaw
— Daniel Barnett (@daniel_barnett) March 1, 2017
Peninsula did not respond to Legal Cheek’s repeated requests for comment.
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